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Professor Hans Rosling, who garnered a reputation as the “Jedi master of data visualisation”, has died at the age of 68, his Gapminder foundation has announced.

Professor Rosling, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year ago, passed away in Uppsala in Sweden.

"Across the world, millions of people use our tools and share our vision of a fact-based worldview that everyone can understand," his Gapminder co-founders said.

"We know that many will be saddened by this message. Hans is no longer alive, but he will always be with us and his dream of a fact-based worldview, we will never let die!"

A professor of global health at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, Professor Rosling decided to "drop out" in 2007 to devote his time to Gapminder, which allows users to create their own data visualisations.

He co-founded the foundation with his son Ola Rosling and daughter-in-law Anna Ronlund in 2005.

The Swede rose to fame in 2006 after showcasing his unique approach at a conference organised by TED, the forum for new ideas.

Professor Rosling staged a 20-minute presentation that was so original and unforgettable that he was forced to pause his lecture and wait for a round of applause or a roar of laughter to die down. He has since garnered a reputation as the “man in whose hands data sings”.

Bill Gates paid tribute to Professor Rosling on Twitter.

"A great friend, educator and true inspiration for our work. Melinda and I are saddened by the loss of Hans Rosling," said the philanthropist, who has said one of the main reasons behind his decision to donate billions of dollars to healthcare projects in the developing world was down to a Rosling presentation on the issue.

A great friend, educator and true inspiration for our work. Melinda and I are saddened by the loss of Hans Rosling: https://t.co/qZ0bH8PKoC

“Statistics take up four pages in most daily newspapers – stock values and sport [league tables]. People don’t find these boring at all, but they don’t think of them as ‘statistics’," he said.

"If you support Man United or Arsenal, or if your stock falling means you can’t go on holiday, you are interested. It’s only boring if you get data you didn’t ask for, or if you don’t realise its link with the real world.”